(Newser)
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Even as Yemen said today that at least 20 Saudi-led troops were on the ground in the city of Aden, allegedly performing reconnaissance, Saudi Arabia's recently concluded bombing campaign against Houthi rebels there was taking a hit in the form of a critical Human Rights Watch report. As CNN reports, HRW is accusing the Saudis of dropping American-supplied cluster bombs—which are banned in 116 countries that are not the US, Saudi Arabia, or Yemen, and which the AP notes have been compared to land mines for their propensity to explode long after a conflict has ended.

As an HRW rep puts it, "Saudi-led cluster munition airstrikes have been hitting areas near villages, putting local people in danger. These weapons should never be used under any circumstances." The US has said it plans to stop shipping cluster bombs to nations that leave behind more than 1% of bombs unexploded, though not until 2018. The State Department hasn't yet commented on the report. Video from HRW is in the gallery.

Hypocrisy at its finest. America the Beautiful in God we trust. God created cluster bombs. They must be heavenly.

dan6807

May 3, 2015 7:48 PM CDT

Stop shipping by 2018 means used up the stockpile. The US government is one of the worst human rights offenders on the planet as long as money is on the table, but if someone points it out it's always not their fault. Time to stop thinking that morals or "Christian values" ( or any values for that matter) have anything to do with government. Alas, the sad truth is most foreign governments are just as bad.

$151097473

May 3, 2015 3:14 PM CDT

The bombs have a disclaimer: "Not responsible for misuse by purchaser"